Corrugating machine



"8. 1941. w. H. CANNARD 2,251,513

CORRUGATING MACHINE Filed Oct. 20, 1936 ;%.6- 3 wucmm WWW; Alanna/C Patented Aug. 5, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,251,513 CORRUGATING MACHINE William H. Cannard, Green Bay, Wis.

Application October 20, 1936, Serial No. 106,684

1 Claim. I (01. 154-30) This invention relates to a crepe product, particularly paper and like material, embodying an unusual corrugated, or pleated, formation. According to the invention, the material may be corrugated according to known practice to produce therein uncreased corrugations of arcuate, and thereafter is finished in a peculiar manner which eifects a marked alteration in the character of the corrugations.

The invention includes a novel method of treatment, mechanism for practicing such method, and the resulting article of manufacture.

In forming elastic paper and similar material, it is quite common to first corrugate the material and then press the corrugations into fiat crinkled pleats by conducting the material between pressing instrumentalities. Under the present invention the'material after being corrugated, and before setting the corrugations, is manipulated to somewhat upset and distort the corrugations. The resulting product is characteristically different in both form and appearance from that obtained according to prior practice.

One main feature of the invention involves preliminarily subjecting the corrugated material as it leaves the corrugating mechanism to pressure from one side only, and thereafter simultaneously pressing the material from both sides. The preliminary treatment serves to somewhat alter the corrugated configuration, the corrugations on the side to which pressure is applied being partially flattened and widened, while as a consequence the corrugations facing on the other side are narrowed.

A further main feature of the invention involves bending the material transversely to the direction of the corrugations before 'the final pressing operation, and this causes a partial breakdown of the corrugations, forming creases and indentations. The corrugations assume a characteristic irregular contour, taking the form of a definite design which is repeated at recurrent longitudinal portions of the corrugations. The edges of the corrugations are relatively jagged and converge at repeated points. Each corrugation has the appearance of a series of arrowheads arranged in longitudinal alignment.

The transverse bending of the web is preferably carried out at the same time the web is subjected to pressure from one side, and thereafter the material in its new form will be crushed to set the configuration.

The operating principles of the invention as above described will be the same regardless of the shape and size of arcuate corrugation previously produced in the material. The alteration of the corrugations according to the proposed treatment will, however, vary in degree depending upon the coarseness or fineness of the corrugations and the particular mechanism used in the treatment. Thus, it isnecessary to exert more force on one side of the material in the preliminary pressing operation where the corrugations are heavier and/or where the material is stifier. Again, the extent of bending to which the material is subjected to break down the corrugations will be governed by the deptl of the corrugations. The deeper the corrugations the smaller the amount of bending required. Finally, the 'distinctness of the reformed configuration will vary according to the amount of pressure applied in the final crushing step.

The invention may be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying illustrative drawing and the following explanation thereof.

In such drawing:

Figs. 1 and 2 show the opposite sides of the new crepe product;

Fig. 3 is a more or less diagrammatic view illustrating the operating principles of the invention;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are enlarged diagrammatic views of the corrugated web at different operating stages, such views being taken respectively at lines 4-4, 5-5 and 66 of the web illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 shows a practical apparatus for producing the new product;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 8--8 of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 and difiering therefrom primarily in that the corrugated configuration of the product is substantially finer.

Referring first to Fig. 3, the arrangement shown is such as to subject a web of material coming from a longitudinal corrugating machine to preliminary pressure from one side, bending the material transversely tothe corrugations by conducting the same through an arcuate path, and finally crushing the corrugations by applying pressure to both sides. The numerals l0 and II indicate a pair of coacting pressing rolls through which the corrugated web of material is passed. Such rolls, instead of being alined perpendicularly to the path of travel of the web, are ofiset in such manner that the web bears against and travels a portion of the Way around the circumference of one of the rolls before coming into the crushing area at the point of contact between the rolls. The point A designates the point where the web passes onto the roll l0, and the point B the crushing area of the rolls.

During traverse between points A and B, the web is drawn against the peripheral surface of the roll in (it being assumed that the two rolls are power driven). Fig. 4 represents diagrammctically the corrugated configuration of the web as it comes from the machine. By reason of the pressing of the web against the roll, the corrugations at on that side will be partially flattened and widened while the intervening corrugations b which face on the other side will be correspondingly narrowed. The change in configuration due to the pressing action is illustrated in Fig. 6. Because the web is carried through an arc between the points A and B, the same will be bent transversely to its corrugations, and by the bending action it is possible to produce breaks or indentations in the corrugations. Such breaks, it has been found, will be formed at recurrent longitudinal points along the corrugations and the same are diagrammatically represented in Fig. 3 by the character 0.

For coarse corrugations the web need be bent only through a relatively small angle in order to result in the breaks 0. Where the corrugations are finer, that is shallower, a greater bending action will be required. It will be evident by reference to Fig. 3 that the amount of bending will be determined by the diameter of the roll l0, and also by the distance around the roll I which the web traverses between the points A and B. Thus, for relatively fine corrugated material the diameter of roll II) should be smaller than where treating coarsely corrugated material, and preferably also the rolls Ill and II should be arranged in relation to the path of travel of the web so that the distance between points A and B will be greater.

After being pressed from one side and creased transversely of the corrugations during traverse around the roll ID, the web will be crushed between the rolls into fiat pleats at point B. The final product as it emerges from the rolls is diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 6.

The corrugated configuration obtained according to the operation just described is shown in Figs, 1 and 2, the reference characters thereon being the same as those employed in Figs. 4 through 6. The corrugations are somewhat coarse in character. The wider corrugations a on the observe side of the material in Fig. 1 have been widened by preliminary contact with the roll l0 while the corrugations b facing on the second side of the material have been correspondingly narrowed. The breaks in the corrugations are indicated at c. It will be noted that the common edges of the corrugations a and b are of a jagged, serrated contour. Each individual corrugation is more or less broken up into a plurality of adjoining longitudinal portions, wide at one end and narrow at the other, the opposing edges of the portions converging towards each other. The definite indentations formed in the opposing edges extend inwardly at a diagonal to the line of the corrugations. The narrower lines of corrugations b resemble a series of arrowheads arranged end to end in a continuous line.

It will be understoodthat the formation of the article as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 results from the treatment described, it being assumed that in the corrugating machine the corrugations a and b, as in Fig. 4 are formed identically with regular edges. In addition to being longitudinally corrugated and treated according to the present invention, the material may be transversely creped without impairing the characteristic effects of the invention. Thus, the product of Figs. 1 and 2 is shown with transverse creping generally indicated at d.

As previously explained the invention is applicable whether the corrugations formed are coarse or fine. In Fig. 9 I have shown a sample product of substantially finer configuration than that of Figs. 1 and 2. The reference character a designates the corrugations. on the obverse side and 2) indicates the corrugations on the reverse side. Such product is obtained solely by finely corrugating the material and then applying the finishing treatment as herein described, and it will be noted that in the absence of transverse creping the creases 0' across the corrugations at recurrent longitudinal points are considerably more emphasized. It may be stated further that the full effect of the inventive treatment is diflicult to illustrate and the coarse and fine products of Figs. 1 and 2 merely indicate the general configuration. Particularly where a finely corrugated material is treated, the invention results in an unusual grained appearance which gives the product the semblance of durability.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I have illustrated a practical form of mechanism for carrying out the principles of the invention explained in Fig. 3, the same being particularly applicable to the treatment of material produced with relatively coarse corrugations as in the product of Fig. 1. The corrugating machine of which a portion is illustrated employs corrugating elements in the form of traveling upper and lower sets of belts arranged in operative relation to transport and corrugate a web of material passing therebetween. In Fig. 7 the numerals 20 and 2| indicate upper and lower sets of shives adapted respectively to carry the upper and lower sets of belts 22 and 23. It will be assumed that the belts are of substantially greater length than shown and that by the time the mtaerial has reached shives 20 and 2| the same has been longitudinally corrugated by the belts to the desired width.

The pressing mechanism includes a pair of press rolls 24 and 25 positioned beyond the shives 20 and 2| and the belts are extended around the pressing rolls so as to convey the material to the bight between the rolls. As shown in Fig. 8, the pressing surface of the rolls is provided with a spaced series of peripheral grooves which will accommodate and just be filled by the belts during the pressing operation. This mechanism, as so far described. is more fully shown and explained in my Patent No. 2,182,720, issued December 5, 1939, on an application filed of even date with the present case.

Instead of positioning the pressing rolls 24 and 25 in vertical alinement and perpendicular to the path of traverse of the web before entering between the rolls, such rolls are tilted so that one of the rolls is in advance of the other and the material is caused to travel part way around the circumference of the roll 24 before entering between the rolls. The set-up of the rolls 24 and 25 is similar in its operative eilect to the diagrammatic view of Fig. 3. The carrying of the belts 22 and 23 about the pressing rolls does not interfere with the action and it will be observed that the belts 23 are themselves bent around the upper roll 24 so as to press the web of material against the surface of roll 24 until the material reaches the pressing point.

becauseit has been found that for any given size of corrugation the distinctness of the novel effect will be greater the smaller the diameter of the press roll about which the material is bent before being pressed from both sides. In certain practical embodiments of the invention operating according to the principles explained in Fig. 3, I employ a roll of about an inch and a half in diameter. The bending action may also be increased by offsetting the upper and lower press rolls to a greater degree in their relation to each other so as to cause the material to traverse a longer are about roll 24 before entering the bight between the rolls. The size of the roll about which the paper is bent is, however, more important than the distance traveled by the material about the roll before being pressed. It will be recalled that the bending and preliminary pressing action is produced by bringing the material against and part way around one of the of travel of the web about which the web must pass before it can enter the point of coaction of the two rolls.

The apparatus shown in Figs. '7 and 8 is merely one of a number of arrangements for carrying out the principles of the present invention diagrammatically illustrated. in Fig. 3. The uncreased corrugations of arcuate form may be produced by corrugating rolls instead of traveling belts, and the press rolls may be adjustably mounted so as to function according to the present invention as in the case of my Patent No. 2,l97,447,-issued April 16,- 1940, on an application filed of even date with the present case.

The principles and practical adaptation of my invention having been explained, what I claim is:

In a corrugating machine, a corrugating unit adapted to form longitudinal corrugations in a rolls before being pressed from both sides between the rolls. The position of the roll 24 is such as to constitute the same an obstruction in the path web of material passed lengthwise through the machines and including coacting sets of traveling belts between which the material is fed, a pair of coacting opposing press rolls, the respective sets of traveling belts passing about the respective rolls, peripheral grooves in the pressing surfaces of the rolls in which the belts seat during pressing of the web corrugations, the opposing rolls being positioned with their point of contact offset from the path of travel of the belts so that the web is first pressed by the coacting sets of belts about one of the press rolls without crushing before passing between and being pressed by said rolls.

WILLIAM H. CANNARD. 

